


The Weary Soldier

by aurguries



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:27:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26423347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurguries/pseuds/aurguries
Summary: Be down to bleed.
Relationships: Nathan Prescott/Original Character(s), Nathan Prescott/Original Female Character(s), Nathan Prescott/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> not condoning nathan’s actions in lis, but it would be a shame not to explore his character, especially since he’s so flawed. keep in mind though, that not everything is entirely black and white. other than that, enjoy!!

Getting into trouble was something quite foreign to you.

Obviously, you had been in your fair share before, no one could ever be so perfect as to never screw up, but that was back when you were a kid. Trouble didn’t really carry any weight or consequences, especially ones that could affect your future. But things were different now, and a little slip up could lead to a whole future being ruined. You abided by this belief and thus, kept your head down whenever trouble approached and as the years went by, it became something of a distant memory.

Until _now_.

Your record here at Blackwell was _spotless_ ever since you first enrolled into the academy a year ago. You knew this because Principal Wells often praised you for it, calling you the epitome of what every Blackwell student should be. And rightly so. You did everything that was required of someone in your position and dare you say, more. You never failed to finish the homework on time, you always did your part in assignments, your manners were always on point, especially when it came to the teachers here at Blackwell, you found time to join the extra activities, you consistently excelled at tests — yes, you certainly did it all, Blackwell’s golden girl.

But after considering the fact that you were currently sitting outside the principal’s office waiting for him to call you in to talk about the incident that happened this morning, you were pretty damn sure all of those things were now thrown out the window. Months of hard work and building up a scholarship worthy reputation all flushed down the drain, just _like that_.

Stomach churning, you swallowed hard as you pulled your book bag closer to your chest. You felt _sick_. It wasn’t even your goddamn fault. Well, not _entirely_. You were keeping your head down as usual, making your way to class as per your weekly schedule until you collided with the one person who had the capacity to ruin what would have otherwise been a perfect morning.

“ _Whateverthefuck_ ,” was the immediate response you heard uttered as you landed hard on the floor, elbows stinging upon impact. It came as a snarl, hostile and aggressive, and was continued with, “Watch where you’re going, bitch.”

The words came tumbling out of your mouth before you could stop them.

“Sorry, assholes aren’t in my line of view.”

An ugly scowl immediately marred the features of the boy you had collided with, who proceeded to take a menacing step towards you.

“What the _fuck_ did you just say?”

Alright, maybe you should have kept your head down once you stood up and saw that it was Nathan Prescott you had the bad luck of bumping into. You knew he practically owned Blackwell Academy. He even owned the place you lived in — the _Prescott_ Dormitory, duh. Nearly everything here in Arcadia Bay belonged to the Prescott family and that alone should have made you continue to keep your head down and go on about your own business as you had been doing for the past year, continuing to ignore the existence of troublemakers like Nathan Prescott and his Vortex Club. But you _just_ couldn’t let this go, could you?

“You heard what I said, Prescott,” you managed, standing your ground. Eyes flickering briefly to his hands, you saw that they were now forming into fists, and having heard about what he did only a week ago to the one of the boys in your shared literature class, it pretty much told you that he was more than capable of using those fists. Maybe you should have thought about this more carefully.

“Don’t push me, girl. You don’t want me for an enemy, _understand_?” Nathan Prescott seethed, his glare briefly moving from you to the people stopping by to stare and listen in. Knowing what a small school this was, you were very much certain this would all reach the ears of every soul in Blackwell before lunch break.

“What are you all standing around here for?” he hissed at the crowd, voice harsh and brash. “Get the fuck out of my face.”

You recognized some of the faces, which only made things worse in a way. A few of them scrambled at hearing Nathan’s words but others just hung around, eager to reach the end of the confrontation. You too, were eager.

You didn’t like the look on Nathan’s face and you also had better things to do at the moment. You _definitely_ weren’t going to get an apology from him, and if the rumours you had been hearing were true, the chances of you getting a black eye instead were _much_ higher, but as least you stood your ground _and_ called him an asshole. To you, that counted for something — you had already done so much more than what anybody else at Blackwell usually did when confronted with Nathan Prescott. And now, you weren’t going to stick around any longer to find out just what kind of enemy he could make.

“Look, just forget it,” you muttered, a small part of you suddenly starting to wish you had just kept your head down. What the hell were you thinking? Out of all the rules you could have broken in your “Guide to Avoiding Trouble”, you broke the one which involved you staying out of the way of the most volatile individual in Blackwell Academy. Maybe you were starting to go insane. They said that happened sometimes to students who pushed themselves too hard. You frowned internally. _Were_ you pushing yourself too hard?

“– are you even listening to what the fuck I’m saying?”

You _really_ needed to get the hell out of here.

“Christ, calm down, okay?” you snapped. “I just want to get to class. Maybe you should just go cool off or something.”

“And _maybe_ , you should have thought about that before you called me an asshole. Too late now, hmm?” he sneered, taking another step towards you.

He was inches away from you now, where he could just reach out and grab you like you were a rag doll. Your heart pounded hard in your chest, so hard that it felt as though it was going to tear out of your ribcage. Nathan Prescott was absolutely terrifying, like the kind of monster you used to be afraid of as a kid, his figure towering over your much smaller one. He looked like he was going to gobble you up, and before you could figure out how to react, your survival instincts kicked in first and you lunged at Nathan Prescott.

•••

“Now, I don’t want to hear any excuses –”

“ _Holy_ shit, you’re gonna let her get away with this?” Hands gestured wildly towards you. “Crazy bitch came at me!”

“Careful, Mr. Prescott,” Principal Wells started warningly, eyes narrowing at his crudeness.

“I was scared!” you blurted out, fingers nervously tightening around the fabric of your shirt — which you had taken to gripping onto for support of some kind throughout this excruciating ordeal. “I wasn’t trying to hurt him or anything. I just wanted to get him away from me, so I – I pushed him a little. But not to hurt him, I swear!”

“Pushed me a little?” Nathan gave a mirthless laugh, dry and forced. “More like _shoved_ me!”

“Only because you looked like you were ready to kill _me_!” you protested.

“Keep this shit show up, and I just might.”

“Did I just hear you make a threat, Mr. Prescott?”

“And so what if I did?” Nathan immediately challenged, leaning forward from his seat to glare at Principal Wells.

“I’ll –”

“Kick me out of here? Yeah, good luck with that. My father _owns_ this school. He owns _all_ of you,” his gaze shifted to you and you found yourself glaring at him. A smirk suddenly spread across his face. “You can’t do _shit_ to me.”

 _Prick_. But in a way, he was right. You knew his father had the principal under his thumb. It was an unspoken thing here at Blackwell, no one dared bring it up, and so to hear Nathan admit this so freely was unnerving. Especially the fact that he did it in front of Principal Wells himself.

An uncomfortable silence settled in the room which was broken a few moments later when the principal icily announced, “Ms. ____, you can leave the room. It seems Mr. Prescott and I require a lengthier discussion regarding other matters. Matters that might require his father’s attention.

The smirk died immediately and was replaced by an ugly scowl. You expected Nathan to fight back, further threaten the principal or something, but instead you watched as he slumped back into the seat, expression full of resentment. _That’s it?_ You glanced at him in disbelief. That was all Principal Wells had to do? Threaten to tell his father? You thought bringing Sean Prescott into the picture would be giving Nathan more ammunition but instead it seemed to shut down any fight in him left.

“Whatever,” was all he said, eyes downcast.

Before you had a chance to ponder more on it, the principal’s sharp gaze turned towards you and when he spoke, his voice was stern.

“Before you leave, Ms. ____, you should know that if this kind of incident repeats itself again, I will not look too kindly upon it. There will be no more second chances. You have a lot of potential here at Blackwell and I would hate to see it go to waste.”

You nodded, not really listening, eyes focused on Nathan. It reminded you that it was _your_ fault as well, not just his alone, and to leave him that way in the principal’s office to bear the grunt of what happened just seemed so wrong. No matter how much of an asshole Nathan Prescott could be, he didn’t deserve this.

You should have just left and be relieved that Principal Wells decided to overlook this incident, but instead, something came over you. Call it guilt or kindness, or the nagging feeling that Nathan had issues with his father and would rather have the ground swallow him up than let his father know about what happened today, whatever it was though, it made you stand your ground now as you proceeded to open your mouth to deliver an impromptu argument to convince the principal to overlook Nathan Prescott’s involvement.

Maybe you really _were_ starting to go insane.

•••

“If you’re expecting me to get on my knees and grovel, you’re _dead_ wrong.”

“Wasn’t expecting that at all, but you’re welcome,” you muttered, rolling your eyes.

As the both of you made your way out of Blackwell, you still made sure to keep a distance from Nathan even though he seemed _fine_ now. Well, as fine as he could be, but since you couldn’t predict if he was suddenly going to go all batshit crazy on you again, you had decided that it was better to be safe than sorry — thus, the carefully kept distance between you and him. Besides, you didn’t want to go all batshit crazy yourself and shove him again. That was _your_ fault. You shouldn’t have put your hands on Nathan in the first place, but he was just so goddamn scary sometimes.

“ _Whatthefuckever_.”

Scratch that, make it _all_ the time.

“Listen,” you glanced over at him briefly, chewing on your lip. “Let’s just forget this ever happened and stay out of each other’s way. We only have a few more months to go before the year ends and I can’t afford to get in trouble again.”

“You’ve got some guts,” Nathan stated, a sneer beginning to form on his face. “But … you’re right.” the sneer faded slightly. “And I’ve got more important shit to deal with other than yours and that fucked up principal of ours.”

“Interesting,” you mused quietly. You wondered what he meant by _more important shit,_ but it wasn’t like he would confide in you even if you were to ask. What the hell were the two of you going to do? Watch the sunset together and talk out your problems? You nearly snorted just thinking about it.

“What the hell’s interesting?” he demanded.

You shrugged. “Just thought you wouldn’t care about trouble. Thought the name Prescott granted you immunity.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Did the shit back there look like immunity to you?”

“You know what, yeah, it did,” you crossed your arms together defiantly, facing him. “If _I_ talked back to Principal Wells like that, he would have suspended me, consider cancelling my scholarship application _and_ call my parents. My future down the drain, _just_ like that.”

“Man,” Nathan snickered, smirking slightly. “You really are a piece of work, huh?”

You glared at him, letting your arms fall back to your sides. “What do you mean by that?”

“Forget it,” he snapped, the laughter immediately becoming non-existent as he scowled at you instead, erasing any trace of the boy he was a few seconds ago “Just stay out of my way after this, _got it_?”

Your eyes narrowed in response and when Nathan took a step towards you, you thought he was going to start more shit, but instead he turned on his heel and stalked off towards the lone red car left in the centre of the parking lot.

And as you watched him go, the annoyance slowly faded away into curiosity. He walked with so much anger and hatred for God knows what, you half-expected him to leave a trail of fire behind. And for a moment there, Nathan briefly reminded you of some weary soldier stalking off to war except his war was waged against everyone else. It was him against the world, and you had gotten caught in the crossfire today.

You _should_ hate him after what happened, but somehow, you felt it.

The tug at your heart.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in which fate has something else in store other than just a one-time school fight. hope y’all enjoy!!

It would be some time before your fate collided once again with Nathan Prescott’s, but when it did, it happened at the one place the both of you last expected to see each other. But fate had a funny way of working, as you and him would soon find out.

Thus far, it had taken every fibre in your being to ignore Nathan’s existence, especially after the incident. Any classes you shared together resulted in you consistently avoiding eye contact with him, pretending you had never met, no matter how hard people were making it. It was all everyone could talk about for days, and to those who hated Nathan, you became some kind of unsung hero. There were no actual pats on the back for you, but you could see it in the occasional glances some of them threw your way in the school hallways or in the classes you shared with them, that they were grateful someone finally put Arcadia Bay’s golden brat in his place, that despite his family taking over everything in this little town, Nathan Prescott didn’t own everyone _yet_.

Much to your embarrassment, even the teachers had started seeing you in a different light; as someone brave enough to stand up to bullies. You were made aware of this when Mrs. Hoida, your literature teacher, pulled you aside one day after class and told you that she was _proud_ of you, her remark accompanied by slightly teary eyes, but you felt that she was only saying that because Nathan had insulted her in front of the whole class one too many times.

But whatever people’s opinions were, none of them mattered because when it came to the subject of each other, it was as though neither of you existed.

And yet, when classes ended, and the rest of the students filed out of the classrooms, you found yourself lingering back a bit, taking your time in packing up your stuff if only to catch a proper glimpse at Nathan. You had not forgotten the look on his face in the principal’s office when his father was mentioned, nor did you forget the way he walked as if he shouldered the burden of the entire world on his fragile shoulders.

A part of you wanted to approach him, but the rules you had set for yourself way back when you first stepped foot in Blackwell Academy held you back. Plus, he wanted you out of his way, didn’t he? And the last thing you needed right now was yet another confrontation with him.

But Fate seemed to decide otherwise.

It was a Sunday when it happened, with you drenched head to toe in rainwater and Nathan yelling at you to get in his goddamn car.

You see, before it all went to shit, the day found you at a picnic table in Overlook Park, which you spent slaving away at the week’s homework pile. With the day nearly at an end, there was just one more essay left to complete and you were now found to be scribbling away furiously at the very last bit of Mrs. Hoida’s homework which was due the next week, occasionally glancing up every now and then at the skies that were now painted a dark, murky grey.

_Convinced_ that you could finish off the last paragraph of the essay before it started to rain, you decided to remain rooted in your seat instead of packing up your things and getting a move on to the bus station, like you should have done, and immediately regretted not doing as soon as the first few droplets of rain started to splatter on your previously dry paper, making a whole mess of your handwriting by staining the ink the words were written in.

It all sunk in at once, that you and your homework were royally _screwed_ by the time you were halfway streaking across the park to the bus station that suddenly seemed like it was _miles_ away. With clothes that suddenly felt as though they weighed a ton and sneakers that were slowly collecting water, you felt as though you were never going to make it.

Worse was when some prick started blasting his car horn continuously, seemingly _at you_ , when you passed his vehicle on the way downhill, despite not even being in the way. You tried ignoring it at first, pulling your wet clothes against your cold skin in a weak attempt to keep warm, pretending you didn’t hear the loud, annoying bursts of noise, trying to focus on getting to the bus station. But when it became clear that they were being directed _specifically_ at you, you turned your head just in time to scowl at the driver of the car that had now taken to slowing down beside you.

“Listen, _asshole_ ,” you started in a loud voice, most of it drowned out by the heavy rain, but didn’t get a chance to finish your sentence when the window rolled down and a familiar scowl that could rival your own greeted you. Apparently just in time to hear your insult.

“That’s the second time you’ve called me that,” Nathan Prescott grumbled, seeming less than pleased to see you. Looking dry and warm in his car, he glared at you from the driver’s seat and when you continued to stare at him, drenched head to toe, obviously at a loss, Nathan seemed to lose whatever little patience he had left as the scowl deepened and he barked at you, “Well, what the hell are you waiting for? _Get in_.”

It took a moment for you to fully process what he was asking you to do. And when you finally did, you still couldn’t form a reply of any sort, which only seemed to irritate him further.

“What are you, _deaf_?” Nathan snapped, voice stinging. “You wanna get sick and die? Stop being so stubborn and get in the _goddamn_ car!”

You watched as he proceeded to lean across his seat to fling open the door at the passenger’s side, wildly beckoning for you to quickly get in since the rain was getting in everywhere, staining the car seats.

You hesitated, the memory of Nathan towering over you still fresh in your memory but snapped out of it when he yelled your name one more time, sounding more exasperated than usual. Realising that he was right and that you were probably going to get sick if you continued your valiant attempt at reaching the bus station, you proceeded to run towards the other side of the vehicle before launching yourself into it, immediately engulfed by the warmth inside.

After seeing you shut the car door behind you, Nathan quickly stepped on the gas, eyes focused on the road that appeared blurry from the rain that was repeatedly splattering against the windshield. While he muttered something under his breath about you being stubborn, you stayed frozen in your seat, as if it was just suddenly hitting you what you had just done. Accepting a ride from Nathan Prescott had to have broken about fifty of the rules you had set for yourself in your “Guide to Avoiding Trouble”. _Fifty_. That wasn’t just a measly amount, that was practically the whole guide itself!

“Stop looking like I just kidnapped you,” Nathan muttered, eyes still on the road. “I don’t need the cops getting on my crack.”

You stared at him unblinkingly.

“What is it?” he asked, sounding annoyed as he glanced at you briefly. “Spit it out or stop staring at me.”

“I just –” you stuttered, trying to grasp the words properly. “I thought you wanted me out of your way.”

“I still do,” he growled, and then said no more.

You took in a deep breath, deciding to ignore how odd the situation was by settling for being thankful instead that he showed up when he did. You could have still been under all that rain and not even halfway to the bus station.

“Thank you,” you said quietly.

“Now I don’t owe you shit for Wells. We’re square, _got it_?”

You nodded and mumbled, “Fair enough.”

Rubbing at your arms, you found that you were still freezing despite the heat that now blasted through the car. You were practically soaked to the bone and dressed in damp clothes that provided very little warmth. They clung to your skin now as your teeth clenched together in a pathetic attempt to stop them from chattering which ultimately ended up fruitless. From the corner of your eye, you saw Nathan’s eyes flicker towards you briefly before he reached over from the driver’s seat to turn the heat up, something which you were immediately grateful for. It was a minute before he spoke again.

“Where to?” he asked tonelessly.

“The bus station,” you said hurriedly. “I’ll just take the bus back to –”

“I’ll drive you back to where you’re headed,” Nathan interrupted in a tone that made it clear he didn’t want to be argued with on this.

“The dorms then,” you answered sheepishly, suddenly realising that you were probably making a huge mess of his car. You cleared your throat. “Um, about the wet car seat –”

“It’s fine,” he interrupted, and you slumped back into the seat.

“Right.”

Another moment of uncomfortable silence had just started to sink in when Nathan spoke up again, almost casually. “So, what were you doing at the park?”

“Homework,” you replied, and then with widened eyes, you repeated in a more panicked tone, “ _Homework_.”

Nathan scoffed, like he wasn’t surprised. “ _Of course_ you went to the park to do _homework_.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” you muttered defensively as you hurriedly grabbed your damp bag.

Nathan took his eyes off the road for a moment to glance at you frantically rummage through it, only to then pull out a bunch of soaked papers from within. You looked at the pile with such dismay that Nathan appeared quite amused, perhaps by the fact that you seemed to resemble someone at a funeral.

“It’s ruined,” you whispered with a glum expression, shaking your head at the stained words on the paper. “The homework Mrs. Hoida gave us.”

Nathan scrunched up his face. “She gave us shit to do?”

“Maybe if you weren’t so busy throwing desks in classrooms, you might have realised that we were actually given a bunch of homework for the week,” you retorted, and then sighed as you stuffed the pile back into the bag. “Now I’m going to have to start all over again, and do it all within two days no less, and –” You stopped halfway and let out a huge sneeze, causing Nathan to scoff from your left.

“You’re fucking insane, walking around in the rain like that,” he muttered, and then reached behind, rummaging around for something while the other hand stayed on the steering wheel.

“Not all of us can afford our own car.” You raised a brow towards the back seat, wondering what he was looking for.

“You can afford your own umbrella, _right_?” he inquired sarcastically.

“I just forgot to bring it along, okay?”

Instead of receiving a reply, you received a smack to the face by something soft and distinctively smelling of Nathan Prescott.

“Whatever. Now get warm and stop spraying your snot all over my car.”

You scowled as you peeled off whatever it was he had shoved at you only to realise it was a jacket, alike to the one he usually wore, except this was blue. You muttered, “You could have given me a warning before you shoved it right at my face.”

But you didn’t complain anymore as you slipped your arms into the sleeves of the jacket, relishing how _warm_ and _nice_ it felt against your skin. You didn’t really care at the moment if this particular piece of clothing belonged to Nathan Prescott, you were honestly just grateful that it managed to stop your teeth from chattering. Mumbling a thanks, you received a grunt in response.

Sliding a sneaky glance his way, you plucked up enough courage to boldly ask, “And what were _you_ doing at the park?”

“None of your business,” he snapped irritably. “Stop being so fucking nosy.”

You narrowed your eyes at Nathan, knowing very well that at least half of the drugs available at Blackwell were supplied by him.

“Were you doing something illegal?”

“What are you, a fucking narc? Why do you care?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’m studying at your _supply area_ and I don’t want to see it turning into some drug den? Plus, there _are_ rules you know. You could be expelled for this.”

“I _own_ Blackhell, remember?” His lips quirked up into a shit eating smirk. “No one tells me what I can or can’t do there.”

“So you _were_ picking up your drug supply at Overlook Park?” you said accusingly, crossing your arms together to glower at him.

“What the hell? No, you twee bitch,” Nathan bit out viciously and then huffed in annoyance. “I was taking pictures, _alright_?”

You smirked. “Like a perv, huh?”

He glared at you.

You threw up your hands and laughed. “Alright, sorry. Bad joke.” And then a little more shyly, you remarked, “Truth is, they’re pretty cool.”

“What is?”

“Your pictures,” you mumbled, fiddling with your fingers as you now turned to stare out the window. “I uh – saw some on the way out of class a few weeks ago. You left them on your table. Morbid, but,” you chuckled, “ _pretty_ _cool_. I liked the one you took of the wilting flowers. That was something else.”

“Oh yeah, _totally_ ,” he mocked. “Like I give a flying fuck. You really shouldn’t go poking around at things that aren’t yours. _Seriously_.”

Rolling your eyes, you didn’t say anything more and yet, despite his harsh words and venomous tone, you saw how his eyes softened ever so slightly as he continued to drive, the rain starting to clear as the sight of Blackwell came into view.

“About today,” Nathan said suddenly. “Don’t go spreading this shit around.”

“That you’re giving out free rides?” you remarked cheekily, eyes still trained outside the window.

“Shut up. You know what I mean.”

“ _Fine_ ,” you said in mock exasperation. “You’re too cool for me, _I get it_.”

You turned your head just in time to see his lips quirk up into a small smirk.

•••

“Keep it.”

Fingers that were halfway prying the jacket off your shoulders froze and you looked at him incredulously, opening your mouth to retort but stopped short when he shot you a glare.

“I don’t have time to sit around and argue with you,” Nathan snapped. “I’ve got somewhere else to be. Now get out of my car.”

“You mean you weren’t heading back to the dorm?” you exclaimed, cheeks starting to heat up. You just assumed he was going back to the dorm like you were, not even bothering to ask where he was headed when he picked your sorry ass up. The fact that he had somewhere else to be … he didn’t need to go out of his way to drive you back if he was heading a completely different way.

“No.”

“Isn’t it nearly curfew?” you frowned.

“Know what the dorm’s called?” he drawled sarcastically.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” you muttered, waving it away dismissively. “But _still_.” You looked at him expectantly, but he continued to look at you with a blank expression. “Right,” you sighed. “You don’t care.”

“I’m also on a tight schedule right now,” he continued to remind you. “So maybe you can start helping by getting the _hell_ out of my car?”

“Just less than an hour ago you were yelling at me to get in,” you scowled, dragging your feet out of the car, soaked bag slung across your shoulder, Nathan’s blue jacket draped over your smaller figure.

You would have to find a way to return it to him next week, you were going to make sure of that. No way were you going to keep it despite the fact that he didn’t seem to mind if you did. You weren’t about to start doing what he told you do to. Except when he was yelling at you to get in the car, but that whole messed up scenario was a one-time thing, _alright_? In your defence, you needed help and he was offering it.

Reminded of this, you shifted your feet slightly, one hand resting against the edge of the car door as you mumbled, “Listen, thanks for today.”

“Just don’t go –”

“Spreading this shit around,” you interrupted, rolling your eyes. “Understood. See you around, Prescott.”

“Whatthefuckever,” he muttered, but whatever viciousness was present the first time he spoke to you was now nowhere to be heard, and you even managed a small smile before shutting the door behind you, mind now drifting to Mrs. Hoida’s unfinished homework as you made your way back to the dorms, the soles of your wet sneakers squeaking against the pavement.

And if you hadn’t been so deeply engrossed in your thoughts, you might have noticed Nathan Prescott waiting till you disappeared out of sight before finally driving off into the night.

•••

It took some time for Nathan Prescott to throw you off balance once more.

So far you were swamped with even more homework and assignments to complete, the deadlines incredibly near each other. But surprisingly enough, you still managed to complete Mrs. Hoida’s essay on time after staying up the whole night to do so while sneezing away, much to the annoyance of your next door neighbour. But it was worth it when you saw the red A+ she had graded your paper with, and that beaming smile she flashed at you.

You knew she was having a hard time dealing with _certain_ students **(** Nathan, Nathan and Nathan **)** , and it almost seemed like she was going to crack any day now, considering the rumours swirling around of her crying in an empty classroom. A part of you found solace that at least you made her job easier in some way, no matter how small your contribution.

All things considered, with the homework and assignments, you should have felt relieved that things were starting to go back to normal after the crazy disruptions from one Nathan Prescott, someone you used to pray to never run into. Because of this, it was now so strange how often you found yourself thinking of him, especially whenever your eyes drifted every now and then to his jacket hanging on your cupboard, a jacket which you had not found the time to bring to the dry cleaners just yet.

Though deep down you knew that you _did_ have the time last week, but for reasons unknown you found it hard to let the piece of clothing go. It was silly, and yet it wasn’t. It was almost like Nathan was purposely screwing with you. You could hear his snarky laugh now, and you _absolutely_ hated it. 

But as the days passed, Fate seemed to have some mercy on you as you finally settled back into your comfortable routine, your annoyance with yourself slowly starting to fade. You and Nathan continued to avoid each other at classes like before, pretending as if the entire car ride didn’t happen, that a school fight was all there was. A part of you felt almost relieved.

However, it was not to last. All it took for everything to come crashing down again was a single photograph flying out from your locker when you opened it to grab your books one morning.

Frowning as you leaned down to pick it up, the photograph having fallen face down on the floor, you read the messy words written at the back of it first. 

_NEXT TIME MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS._

You turned it up, only see to see a familiar, beautifully taken picture of wilting flowers in black and white.


End file.
